Calendar of Virtual Events and Guest Presentations

Virtual Guest Presentations

One benefit of working in a primarily virtual environment is that it's enabled our students to benefit from even more guest presentations than usual, since there's no need for artists to travel!

Here's a list since last spring:

• Choir guests
  
  • April 24: Jake Runestad, choral composer, joined PolyPhonics in a Zoom session.
    
  • June 5: Eric Whitacre, choral composer, presented a Q&A with members of the Cal Poly Choirs
    
  • Oct. 2: Jason Dungee, director of choral activities at Clafin University discussed historically black colleges and universities, as well as how we all can participate and support social justice through the arts
    
  • Oct. 9: Nicole Lamartine, director of choral activities at UC Santa Barbara discussed her experience as a woman in the field of conducting, and her thoughts on supporting gender equality in historically “male” dominated fields.
    
  • Oct. 16: Jocelyn Hagen, composer, discussed her music and the field of composition in today's world.
    
  • Oct. 23: Jacalyn Kreitzer, mezzo-soprano and Cal Poly faculty emeritus discusses life as a professional singer.
    
  • Oct. 30: Alan Stevens, associate director of choral activities at East Tennessee State University and artistic director of the Knoxville Gay Men's Chorus discussed the history and impact LGBTQ+ choral organizations.
• Jazz guests in May
  
  • Jazz students participated in Zoom master classes with two Grammy Award-winning artists: trumpeter Randy Brecker and his wife, tenor saxophonist Ada Rovatti. Discussions included jazz improvisation, the music business and gender equality in jazz. The pair recorded with the Cal Poly Jazz Ensemble and Vocal Jazz Ensemble for the new album, "another time, another place."
• Nov. 5: ‘Addressing Racism and Diversity in Music Institutions’ Panel Discussion with Stephanie Shonekan, associate dean of the College of Arts and Science and professor of music at the University of Missouri, and Keith Jackson, dean of the College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University
• June 2: Scott Bradlee of Postmodern Jukebox gave a virtual presentation to music students and students in Cal Poly's entrepreneurship program

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